Heretofore, ATVs have typically used front and/or rear rack structures to support a load. In addition, some ATVs may have a storage compartment positioned in front of the steering wheel or behind the seat, between the left and right fenders.
For example, FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a related art ATV 100, as shown and described in the copending applications cross-referenced above. The ATV 100 includes a pair of front wheels 102 and a pair of rear wheels 103. The front and rear wheels 102, 103 are suspended by a vehicle frame (unshown) using suspension members 106. The ATV 100 includes a fender structure including a front fender 104 that covers the front wheels 102 and a rear fender 112 that covers the rear wheels 103. A rear storage rack 108 is fixedly mounted above the rear fenders 112 and a front storage rack 110 is fixedly mounted above the front fenders 104. A load can be mounted to the storage racks 108, 110, because these racks provide a support structure.
As shown in FIG. 2, the front storage rack 110 is connected to a front bumper 114 of the ATV 100 using one or more joint members 116. The front bumper 114 is connected to the main frame. At the opposite end of the joint members 116, the front storage rack 110 includes additional joint members (not shown) that extend through apertures in the front fenders 104 and connect to the main frame.
Referring back to FIG. 1, the rear storage rack 108 can be similarly connected to a rear bumper 113 and may extend through the rear fenders 112 to connect to the main frame. Traditionally, the fender structures, such as the front and rear fenders 104, 112, have been made of plastic, while the storage racks, e.g., racks, 108, 110, have been made of metal as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The ATV 100 may also include a cover 115 that is pivotally or hingedly mounted on a portion 117 of the fender structure of the ATV 100 that connects the front fenders 104 to one another. As seen in FIG. 2, the cover 115 pivots with respect to both the fenders 104 and the front storage rack 110. The cover 115 is sized and configured so as to provide an openable closure for a front storage compartment 118 positioned between the front fenders 104.
This related art front storage rack and fender assembly suffers from several main drawbacks. For example, the fender structure, e.g., fender 104 or 112, is made of a different material than the storage racks 108, 110, and extra parts, assembly steps and labor are required to assemble the fenders and the racks on the main frame with respect to one another. Further, the central portion 122 of the storage rack 110 is connected to the front bumper 114 for support. Additionally, the weight of the metal rack itself along with mounting hardware, such as the joint members 116, increases the ATV's overall weight. Furthermore, metal racks are prone to corrosion (e.g., rust), which is exacerbated by the typical operating environment of an ATV (e.g., water, sand, dirt, etc.).
Accordingly, a need has developed for an improved fender structure that overcomes these disadvantages, among others.
It is, therefore, one aspect of the present invention to avoid the main drawbacks of the related art, e.g., by providing an ATV with a fender structure that is easy to assemble and manufacture.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a support portion that allows for the force of a load placed on the support portion to be transferred to the frame, regardless of the positioning of the load on the support portion.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide a fender structure with a support portion formed from a single piece of plastic material with a high load capacity. The single piece can be formed using a blow-molding process or an injection molding process. Because of its great strength and rigidity, the fender structure can be mounted directly on the main frame without attachment to the bumper.
Another aspect of the invention is to provide a storage compartment between the fenders. The storage compartment may be integrated with the fenders and a cover may be provided to cover and/or seal the storage compartment. Because of the strength and rigidity of the fender structure and support portion, a load may be reliably supported on the cover, the support portion, or both.
According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a fender structure for a vehicle with a plurality of wheels includes a right fender portion positionable over a right wheel and a left fender portion associated with the right fender portion and positionable over a left wheel. At least one of the right fender portion and the left fender portion includes a support portion designed as a load-bearing surface that is defined at least in part by a top surface of at least one of the left and right fender portions. The present invention is also directed to an ATV having such a fender structure.
In embodiments, the fender structure may further include a storage compartment formed in the support portion with an opening through which items may be placed into the storage compartment, and a cover positionable over the opening. The fender structure may further include raised support portions, in at least one of a lateral, longitudinal, and diagonal direction, integrally formed in at least one of the support portion and the storage compartment. The right fender portion, the left fender portion and the support portion may be integrally formed with one another as a single unit, and the single unit may be formed by one of blow-molding and injection molding. The single unit may be made of at least one of polyethylene, polypropylene, and fiberglass-reinforced polyethylene.
The vehicle or the fender structure may further include a mud guard positionable adjacent at least one of the left and right wheels and a floor board extending away from the at least one mud guard. The at least one mud guard and the floor board may be formed in one blow-molded piece with the right fender portion, the left fender portion and the support portion. Alternatively, the at least one mud guard and the floor board may be formed of injection molded plastic, and the right fender portion, the left fender portion and the support portion may be formed of blow-molded plastic.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an all terrain vehicle including a plurality of wheels includes a fender structure positioned over the wheels. The fender structure includes a plurality of raised support portions, wherein the raised support portions and the fender structure are formed of plastic material.
In embodiments, the plastic material may be selected from a group including polyethylene, polypropylene and fiberglass-charged polyethylene. Also, the vehicle may include a main frame to which the wheels are suspended and a bumper supported by the main frame, wherein the raised support portions are supported by the main frame and not the bumper. The raised support portions and the fender structure may be formed as a one-piece unit using, for example, a molding technique, e.g., blow-molding or injection molding.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, an all terrain vehicle includes a main frame that suspends a plurality of wheels, a fender structure supported by the main frame. The fender structure has a plurality of built-in raised support portions.
In embodiments, the built-in raised support portions and the fender structure may be, for example made of plastic, e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene and fiberglass-charged polyethylene. Also, the fender structure and the built-in support portions may be formed in a one-piece structure. The vehicle may further comprise a storage compartment positioned within the fender structure, and a cover dimensioned to cover the storage compartment.
These and other aspects of preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in or apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments.